The new thrice-weekly Kenya Airways-Air Botswana code share between Nairobi and Gaborone will eventually be expanded to a daily service challenging SAA’s Nairobi-Johannesburg route as Botswana-bound passengers cut out Johannesburg as a hub.
Ceo Titus Naikuni told Tourism Update Online the development of Nairobi as a hub is ongoing. “We are working together with the airport to position Nairobi as an alternative hub in Africa. We are also ensuring that our connectivity is attractive to travellers so they don’t have to spend a lot of time in the airport.
“Our focus is to connect either directly or indirectly all the capitals in Africa. But we must also connect Africa with the rest of the world,” said Naikuni.
The move to the three daily flights between Johannesburg and Nairobi has been successful, he says. “By using smaller aircraft more frequently on the route we offer very good connections for passengers. If you miss one flight, you can simply catch another within a few hours.”
Also scheduled this year for launch are services from Nairobi to Ndola, Lubumbashi and Kisangani. Naikuni says the airline is also interested in launching services to Angola.
Over the past year, Kenya Airways has expanded to Libreville (Gabon), as well as adding a new twice weekly service to Antananarivo (Madagascar). The carrier remains privately operated with listings on two East African bourses and a significant shareholding by Air France KLM.
